Above: attorney Delano Franklyn (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s political parties must sign off on the major challenges which faces the country in order to gain developed status by 2030, according to attorney Delano Franklyn, the head of the Michael Manley Foundation.

Franklyn was speaking while giving the inaugural Robert Henriques letter at the St Elizabeth Technical high School last week.

“Theory is one thing, practise is another,” he said. “We need to find a way to ensure that we have consensus building in Jamaica.”

Although many of the challenges facing Jamaica were addressed in the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, these issues need national solutions, he said.

“One is that of crime reduction,” he said. “How can we get the entire country around a plan to deal with crime and crime reduction. How can we get our country around a plan to deal with the reduction of our debt, how can we get our country around a plan, by consensus, around a plan to deal with the quality side of education in Jamaica.”

The event was organised by J Wray and Nephew through the Appleton Civic Committee.